Ports plans now looking like a train wreck

Today’s injunc­tion stop­ping Ports of Auck­land pro­gress­ing its plans to dis­miss and replace its work­force, com­bined with the company’s plan of an indef­in­ite lock­out, leaves Auck­land Coun­cil with no choice but to inter­vene to find a work­able solu­tion to the indus­tri­al dis­pute, the Mari­time Uni­on said today.

Today the Employ­ment Court con­firmed the uni­on had an argu­able case that Ports of Auck­land had acted unlaw­fully in some aspects related to col­lect­ive bar­gain­ing.

Until the mat­ter could be heard in full on 16 May, the Court has ordered Ports of Auck­land against pro­ceed­ing with its plans to dis­miss and replace its work­ers.

On Fri­day the Court will con­sider the issues of the return to work of the work­ers who ended strike action last week, and of the leg­al­ity of the Port lock out notice effect­ive from 6 April.

Mari­time Uni­on pres­id­ent Garry Parsloe said the parties can keep slog­ging the issues out in Court, but in the end the solu­tion to this issue is fin­ish­ing nego­ti­ations for a col­lect­ive employ­ment agree­ment, to get the Ports of Auck­land up and work­ing again.

“Ports work­ers remain ready to return to work and get the Ports work­ing on behalf of the busi­nesses and cus­tom­ers of Auck­land,” he said.

“The people of Auck­land are los­ing mil­lions a day in returns, export­ers and import­ers and oth­er busi­nesses are bear­ing extra costs and the work­ers are facing severe fin­an­cial hard­ship.”

“The only group that appear to be hav­ing a good time is the Ports of Auck­land Board.  Auck­landers need to ques­tion why Board mem­bers con­tin­ue to col­lect their massive salar­ies for ini­ti­at­ing a train wreck of a plan that now is not only in tat­ters, but is unlikely to be resur­rec­ted,” Garry Parsloe said.

The uni­on has asked the May­or and Coun­cil to step in and hopes to address Coun­cil at its meet­ing on Thursday.

Uni­on mem­bers will meet tomor­row at noon to dis­cuss today’s devel­op­ments.